Cape Town - The invasion of land in Cape Town was drawing much needed police resources away from gang flashpoints, the City of Cape Town said on Tuesday.
“We had two very violent gang flare ups in Manenberg and Ottery. There was machinegun fire. This land grab pulled resources away from that,” said the city’s mayoral committee member for safety and security JP Smith.
Smith was referring to the invasion of land next to the Nolungile railway station in Khayelitsha on Monday.
The land grab was being facilitated by Economic Freedom Fighters Western Cape leader Nazier Paulsen.
Smith said the city’s law enforcement services would be laying criminal charges against Paulsen.
The City was also in the process of writing to the Speaker of the provincial parliament to institute proceedings against Paulsen, a member of the provincial legislature.
“The metro police and city law enforcement are laying a charge against him in terms of the Prevention of Illegal Evictions Act which deals with land grabs,” Smith said.
“Mr Paulsen is a very public figure so I’m writing to the provincial Speaker pointing out that he’s in breach of the code of conduct for provincial members.”
On Monday, law enforcement officers from the SA Police Service and metro police prevented land grabbers from erecting structures on the land in Khayelitsha which is owned by Denel, South Africa’s state owned arms manufacturer.
Paulsen said the Khayelitsha land invasion was “just the beginning”.
“We occupied land, along Bongani Street. It is big enough for 500 people to build a village. We started yesterday on April 6. People are busy constructing buildings,” he said.
“The council says they are monitoring the situation which is really funny because they were elected to deliver not to monitor.”
Paulsen said the party would assist people with building materials once they identified land for occupation.
“It is not a case of somebody saying I would like a five-bedroom mansion in Camps Bay and then the EFF must go an find one. It is not like that.”
ANA